By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
With victories at Northern Kentucky University and Purdue University Fort Wayne, the Youngstown State University women’s basketball team is just one of 14 programs in the country with at least 10 road wins this season.
The Penguins set a new program record with eight conference road victories this season and, looking forward to the postseason, have secured the second seed and a first-round home game in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship on March 4.
After securing a top seed in the postseason, Head Coach Melissa Jackson said the team’s effort helped her group improve throughout the season.
“I knew going into this season that we could have a special year. But everything has to come together and it sure has. These kids have really bought in. Everybody has really fit, but they have gotten better throughout the course of the season on both sides of the ball,” Jackson said.
YSU began its final regular-season road trip with a 75-55 victory over NKU on Feb. 19. Five Penguins scored in double figures, each improving their totals from the first matchup against the Norse earlier in the season.
Sixth-year Casey Santoro led with 18 points, while redshirt freshman Danielle Cameron and junior Paulina Hernandez scored 15 points apiece. Redshirt freshman Sarah Baker added 13 points.
Baker opened the scoring at the free-throw line and two scores in the paint to lead the Penguins’ 6-0 run. Back-to-back 3-pointers from NKU tied the game, but Santoro’s first 3-pointer sparked a 10-point run for YSU.
NKU scored the final points of the first quarter and then made its first three possessions of the second quarter to even the score at 16-16. The Norse went on to outscore the Penguins 10-2 to take its first lead of the game at 20-18.
Santoro’s 3-pointer at the 3:08 mark put YSU ahead 27-24, and the Penguins carried a 36-28 lead into halftime. The Penguins led for the remainder of the contest.
Cameron’s free throws with 4:32 left in the third quarter extended the lead to double digits.
Defensively, YSU limited NKU to just two second-chance points, a marked improvement from the first matchup, Jan. 8, 2025 when NKU recorded 20 second-chance points.
After the game, Santoro said she believes the team’s defense has improved in both technique and power.
“Technique and intensity. I think it goes hand in hand and I think defense wins championships. So it’s great that we’re learning the technique, but we also have the intensities in each of us individually to want to make our defense so great,” Santoro said.
The Penguins picked up their 14th conference victory on Feb. 21 with a 76-71 win over PFW. Sophomore Sophia Gregory became the first NCAA player this season to record 37 points and 19 rebounds.
Her points and rebounds are new career highs, and she now holds the highest point total only behind YSU alumni Hedi Schlegel, who scored 38 points in a game Feb. 21, 2015.
Youngstown State opened the first quarter with four turnovers that resulted in nine of the first 11 points for the Mastodons. Gregory responded with a layup and grabbed a defensive rebound for an additional scoring opportunity.
Santoro completed a 3-point play to bring YSU within one possession of PFW with under five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Baker’s offensive rebound and tip-in closed the quarter at 18-16.
The Penguins took their first lead at 8:05 of the second quarter, but both sides went on to exchange baskets and the lead.
The Penguins scored the final 10 points of the half, and Cameron’s buzzer-beater 3-pointer gave YSU a 41-36 lead into halftime.
PFW regained momentum in the third quarter and led 58-55 entering the fourth.
Gregory’s back-to-back layups gave the Penguins a 65-64 lead with three minutes left to play. Santoro forced a turnover and assisted on Gregory’s 3-pointer during the Penguins’ next possession.
Gregory blocked the Mastodon’s next scoring effort and grabbed the rebound. On the offensive end of the floor, she converted a layup that extended the Penguins’ lead to six points.
PFW made five total free throws on two separate trips to the line to make it a one-possession game, but Gregory and Santoro closed out the victory from the free-throw line.
After the game, Gregory was named the Under Armour Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.
The Penguins will conclude the regular season Feb. 25 inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center against the University of Detroit Mercy. The game, which doubles as senior day, tips off at 6:30 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN +.